


Capital Pain | Levi Ackerman

by antibucci



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 進撃の巨人 | Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan (Movies)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Bloodplay, Dom/sub, F/M, Kind of fucked, Knifeplay, Masochism, Mostly just sadism, Sadism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28528275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antibucci/pseuds/antibucci
Summary: The very last thing you expected as the prized crime sketch artist was to find yourself at the center of a battle for power. Once your work is done, you find your neck at the end of the blade of the very man you had etched and printed onto wanted posters.SEASON 3 SPOILERS
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Breaking Ranks

Normally, you spent your mornings as the sketch artist for the military police looking over reports that were given to you, but today it seemed as though nothing was at your own will. Stood before you, menacingly were two people who were apart of the newest squad of the military police. One Kenny Ackerman, previously not a member of the police, was practically holding a gun to your head with his demands, while his counterpart, Traute Caven, who you had seen a few times among the ranks, stood silently.

"Look, bitch. We haven't got time to worry about who's above. I don't care if you're the commander's personal ass wiper. You're going to put all that other shit aside and do as we say. These orders are coming straight from the king." Kenny sneered at your blank expression. 

You took a moment to read over the sloppily written description he had given you, which you assumed must of been his own. "I don't understand what's going on, or why the Survey Corpes has done this. But. I will do it. Just quit screaming at me." A sigh of exasperation left you and you opened a drawer to reveal a sketchbook and an array of pens. 

The eagerness to get the two out of your hair was enough to push your skills to the test. Quick strokes and eager assumptions came from your mind, making you done in no time. You flipped the sketchbook up to show him and he laughed.

"Damn. They really weren't kiddin about you. Here just change this." He wrenches the pen out of your hand and scribbles a couple of lines to make the eyes thinner, and adds a few hairs in his face. At this point, you wanted to kick his ass out yourself. "Alright. Looks good to me. Get started you dumb lap dog."

The two leave, letting you relax. Who was he to suddenly appear amongst your ranks and be your superior? What the hell was happening outside the walls of the capital anyways? Hell was breaking loose if you considered the assignment placed before you. Practically a bounty over the head of Captain Levi of the Survey Corpes. The man you were being tasked to engrave and print posters for, and quick. Whatever they were doing, it was in haste. 

You transferred the sketch to the block you were using and began to chip away at it, worried their hate would turn towards you if you refused to get it done fast enough.

A couple of hours passed and it was already to the press, with even Nile himself present among the officers surrounding the studio. 

As if they had already known the crime before it happened, they were making haste to print and spread these flyers, the heads of Survey Corpes members being the talk of the town within no time.

Levi stared back at you from the print of your own engraving, his eyes cold and emotionless. "What the hell is going on…" Commotion among the capital didn't die down, it only got worse. 

A captain ran in and whispered something to Nile and he motioned for them to all exit, leaving you alone again within the confines of your own studio. 

This had never happened before in your 3 years of working for the Military police. In the past, they had never been quick to ask for let alone print sketches of criminals. Despite this, you were more concerned with what was happening to the Survey Corpes. A group that stuck their necks into the mouths of the titans were wanted for breaking the charter of humanity? It was fishy but you trusted your superiors and their farce judgement. 

A few minutes passed and someone entered, making you look up. It was Marlow and Hitch, whom you recognized from previous altercations. "Hello." You gave them a pained smile and looked back down to the seemingly less important reports among the chaos, then flicked your eyes the handwritten, sloppy one on Levi. Marlow was fast, and grabbed the report while you were looking at it and ripped it apart.

You stared at him in shock, and stood. "What the fuck are you doing, Marlow!?" Hitch pulled out a gun as Marlow hushed you. Scared and confused, you shut your mouth. They nodded to each other and began to quickly escort you out, Hitch keeping the gun under her coat but pressed to your side like a constant reminder.


	2. Set in Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While you had to face the reality of the opposing forces before you, the inherent righteousness of either one was not exactly at the forefront of your mind

You were likely sporting a grim expression as the military police that skulked about the halls of the capital eyed you from a distance but quickly looked away in pity, probably assuming you had been told of a death. They could speculate all they want, but you still would have just as little a clue what was going on as they did. 

The greenery outside the building was worthy of praise, the gardens stretching artistically against the pale pillars of the courtyard, but now the roses that drifted blissfully ignorant seemed to be mocking the state you were in, their cheeks flushed pink and red with laughter, and their thorns poking violent remarks in your direction. 

Hitch shoved you into the back of a covered wagon and Marlow hopped up to steer the horses. When the gleaming walls disappeared into the cityscape, you quietly turned to Hitch and glared. She glared right back, her short hair softening the look on her face. “What the fuck is going on here?! Have the ranks just been ripped to shreds at this point?!”

She slaps a hand onto your shoulder. “HUSH! You’ve gotta hear us out, officer.” Hitch looks over your expression and understands you were about to be a hassle. “The things the MP are forcing you to print are false. They’re covering up their own crime.”

“I assumed as much,” you respond, taking her by surprise.

Hitch inhales, getting a handle on her emotions. “Then what the fuck are you  _ doing _ ?!”

“Following orders, Hitch! What else am I supposed to do? It’s not exactly my place to oppose the king. Unless I’ve got a goddamn  _ deathwish _ !”

Marlow turns back for a moment, likely signaling something to Hitch, but you cannot see his face from behind his hood. 

She seems to calm down in that moment, repeating your name a few times to mull over her next step. “Officer. We want you to help us do what's right.”

“What are you insinuating?” Your heart rate picks up as you subconsciously fill in the gaps.  _ Are Hitch ad Marlow…?” _

“Right now, in that same building you were just in, because of those same announcements you created, Erwin Smith is standing his last trial before the king and his council. If they get their way, Erwin will be hung in the street here.” Hitch is dead serious, and the silence that follows is uneasy.

_ That means… . _ “The other scouts I sent for, including the one I engraved myself will…” You could not bring yourself to admit it to them.

Hitch says your name gently, getting your attention back from your thoughts and to her in front of you. “They will suffer the same fate as their commander.”

Levi Ackerman, the man who you had drawn from Kenny’s description, would probably have his head on a pike quicker than any other soldier considering the flyers going about the capital as you spoke.  _ Oh god. _ In your mind, the photo of the man you had drawn was as real to you as if he had stood before you right then. The image of him hanging in front of the crowds of people sunk into you.  _ He would be hung for  _ our  _ crimes.  _

“Please just… tell me why you’re taking me specifically.” The possibility of you being useful in this operation seemed dim at the most. 

She smiles, most likely in an attempt to comfort herself. “We want you to help us get the truth out. The same ways the lies have.”

Your breathing stops. “So. You want me to lay my neck into this chopping board of a coup, in a hope that the people believe us.”

Hitch nods, suddenly falling into a solemn silence. “Please. We want you to join us. On the right side of this battle. The Survey Corps has always prioritized humanity. Please do the same.”

It was a risk you were not really risking to take. When you had joined the MP, it was never to do good or pursue justice within the walls, but to take advantage of your skill and to save your skin. You knew it would seem selfish to others but you were scared to step a foot onto this battlefield, even if it was taking place among your own ranks.  _ This is no good. I can’t see a good way out of this. Either I go with them and risk the royalty biting my head off, or I refuse and risk getting my head bit off by their titan soldier. Either way, my life isn’t looking too good. _

Despite this conflict, you felt something in you, calling for you to reverse what you had done to not just the Survey Corps as a whole but the man you had nailed to the cross with your own duty.

“Okay, Hitch. I’m not going to lie to you.” Her eyes look to you with fear and pain, probably expecting you to throw her to the pigs of the capital at any moment. “I’m scared. Either way I look at this, I’m dead.”

“Officer-”

“However.” You hold up a hand silencing her. “I feel like I can get even with myself if I do this much. Perhaps I can cancel out this sin I’ve already committed. To myself of course.”

Hitch sighs in relief before wrapping her arms around you in haste. “You’re doing us a great favor, Officer!” You laugh nervously batting her off. 

She gathers herself quickly and resumes her seriousness. “Alright here’s the plan.”

-

A tall person sporting a raggetty ponytail and goggles helps you out of the wagon and to the alleyway where you find yourself among the civilian press and a few other scouts that wore the same scout coat as the person who helped you out. “Evening Officer [l/n]. Thank you for joining us on such short notice.” The wagon you were just in takes off with a speed you would not have expected for something meant for cargo. 

“My name is Hanji Zoe and I’m going to be leading this operation. As we speak, the MP is chasing down the son of Reeves, who witnessed the killing of his father at the hands of the MP. We’re going to take a vantage point where we can witness this entire ordeal. If we can pull this off, there will be enough witnesses to back us up.” They hand you a blank sketchbook and a pencil. “Officer [l/n] here is going to be a member of the press for now. She is a skilled engraver and will assist you in the publication of this story. The proof from an MP Officer will further this reveal.”

Without another word, you were hoisted into position high above the damaged balconies, where families were sat eating their early dinners before the need to burn candles would become essential. This place these people called home was sad and dilapidated, earning a tug from your emotions, but you wiped it aside, focusing on the task at hand as 3 MPs ran up into the clearing between the buildings, a short, larger male being chased by them at gunpoint.  _ Holy shit. _

It became increasingly apparent to you that Hitch had been truthful, and your instincts were right. You began to sketch the scene before you, burning the image of the three antagonizing the boy into your brain. This gathering of opposing sides before you was running from your eyes and down onto the paper. 

The image of the admission of the Military Policy and their crimes aligned with the king were to be set in stone as soon as you began pressing the pencil to that paper. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright alright I'm sorry Levi hasn't come in yet I swear he will and it's gonna be good... Or bad in a good way. I'm going to try and pull this a little away from cannon though, so don't get mad if the timeline differs from the original.


	3. Enamoring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite having to give up your comfortable position as a member of the MP, you find yourself attracted to something about the Survey Corpes. Or perhaps, someone.

The civilian press stood with you in their office, the looks on their faces equally as concerned as your own thoughts that banged around the hollow portions of your skull. You held the engraving to your chest and felt your loyalty to everything being ripped right from underneath you. "Alright. I've made my decision." You swallowed and handed the precious block to the printers, who had just been arguing amongst themselves about printing the story, and decided it was best to do it. 

_ Walls. I'm fucking toast for sure.  _ Hanji must have read your mind as they slung an arm around your shoulders in a half hearted attempt to comfort you. "I understand this wasn't the line of work you intended to do, [y/n], but the work you've done today was for humanity."

Was it really? No. Truly it was to remedy the guilt you felt for the man you had incriminated. "I'm fine, Hanji." You remove yourself from their arm and attempt to step away. 

Hanji blurts out exactly what worried you the most. "There's no way you can go back to the MP." Their face is dead serious. A huge contrast to their previous act of comradery. 

"I know."  _ So this is it. I'm done for. _

"Why don't you come with us, then."

_ Is this what my life has become? Am I simply moving from being the pawn of the Military Police to being a pawn of the Survey Corpes?  _ "And you're proposing this… why?"

Hanji stays silent for a moment. "I know what you truly want. I'm not as thick as you probably assume." Your eyes widen in fear and surprise. Hanji was beginning to sound like the master manipulator you would have expected from a high ranking member of the Survey Corpes. 

"And what is that?" Despite their seriousness, you had a feeling Hanji was bluffing.

"Soon, the MPs will be the ones in the wrong, and aligned with a false monarchy. If you return to them it won't be that fake king of theirs, but the public who will parade the streets with your head on a pike." Every doubt you had flew out the window and into the jaws of the armored titan itself. Hanji was keen and had already analyzed who you were as a person. It was almost scary. "As for why you even agreed to do this. Levi Ackerman, the man you were forced to scrape a picture of, is waiting for us on the outskirts of town. I'm sure you have many things to say to him." 

  
  


Without any hesitation you saluted Hanji, your fist ramming hard enough into your chest to almost knock the wind out of you. "Captain Hanji. I can see you're extremely observant. It's creepy almost. But I admire you. I will take your words to heart and follow you blindly into this operation as long as you can promise me this one thing." Your thoughts wandered off to the image of Levi, Erwin, and Hanji being hung from the gallows in front of everyone in the walls, the Levi in your mind the same as the one Kenny had described in his report. "Give me closure for the crimes I will commit. I don't wish to be given my sins blindly any longer." 

Hanji smiles, as if they had an ounce of understanding at the least. "Of course. From now on you will assist and be a member of the Survey Corpes. I'll let you keep your title as an officer among our ranks, and, even if the commander is reluctant… I will let you deliberate on everything we are to hand to you."

There were no words you could find to describe your emotions at that moment. While you were relieved to find a place to be, there was a boding feeling to being a member of the Survey Corpes, and it felt as if there was some underlying cause for them wanting you to join their ranks. Despite this, you looked Hanji in their eyes and thanked them, truly letting them have what little gratitude you could spare.

-

The ride with the Survey Corpes was surprisingly silent, and it seemed as if they were running on a whim, which made the entire situation much scarier. 

The wagon came to a stop upon the scene of a ransacked MP hideout, a place where they had taken rookies to stake out at. 

Hanji directed you to put up your hood quietly and follow them as they headed for the woods, the last place you would have expected them to be taking you. It seemed silent until a few figures stepped out of the woods, one of which caught you off guard. 

Levi Ackerman. While you knew his height by the numbers given to you, seeing him against the looming forest and his group of soldiers was a shock. Despite his height, he was clearly taking control of the situation, that same grimace you had drawn earlier that day was etched into the pale skin behind the bangs that hung in his face. If anything he looked skinnier and more tired than you had imagined.

There and then, as he locked his eyes on to yours and furrowed his eyebrows into a defensive glare, you took a mental picture, overruling the one you previously had of him. He was beautiful. He showed his age in the sinking of his eyes, but his features were sharp. The aggression he wore so blatantly was endearingly profuse. The thought of doing him wrong began to get you excited, assuming he would glare at you even more intensely than he already was.

Hanji waved off his anger and began to introduce you to him. "Levi, this is officer [y/n][l/n]. I'm sure she can already tell who you are, seeing as she was the artist for the MP."

Levi raises an eyebrow and becomes noticeably irritated with Hanji. "Was? What the hell did you bring her here for?"

You turn your face away from him, embarrassed, as he steps close to you to examine you, taking notice of your MP getup. "I'm joining you."  _ Oh walls, what am I thinking speaking to him like this. _

"Is that so? How the hell can I trust you? Hanji, was this your decision?" He seemed extremely skeptical, which you did not blame him for. 

"She's already betrayed them. She assisted in incriminating the Military Police not too long ago. She was a valuable inside source who corroborated the story." Hanji was thrilled to recite your actions to Levi, but he seemed less interested than her.

He sneers at you and pulls you down to his level by your collar. "So this rat helped us. I suppose it's the least you can do after doing me so dirty." 

You hold in a laugh, knowing good and well, you truly did not do him well. "Blame the description I was given. I agree, you are much more alluring in person."

Startled, he releases you but stays close enough for you to hear him speak quietly, almost as if he was conflicted on wanting you to hear it, "Don't get me excited, runt." His deep voice echoes against you, causing your face to flush. 

_ Oh god he's hot… . _ Hanji interrupts your thoughts.

"Alright! So what's the plan to get back Historia and Eren?"

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the thesaurus is my best friend sometimes. After some violence there will be more to come wink wink.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something peculiar happens while you wait outside the chapel of Rod Reiss.

You stood outside the church, scared of who may come along while the scouts shook down the unassuming little chapel. Though you were not scared of anyone against you, considering the plan they had drug you into had worked well. You were more concerned with what the scouts were doing within.

This time you had standing by was unbearable, as it left you to your own thoughts, an unbearable amalgamation of attraction and fear kicked into the very lining of your brain. Levi was the only thing you could think about. He was everything you expected but better. Determined and steely, but a wary interior.

You turned your head to the west, where the sun was barely grasping the edges of the distant wall, warping the sky behind it into a beautiful array of colors. Before you have even finished admiring the sky, the ground begins to rumble beneath you, giving way under your feet. In an attempt to get to safer ground, you drop to all fours and drag yourself away from the foundation of the church. 

Once you were about 100 yards from the church, the ground behind it broke. You covered your mouth to conceal a terrified gasp. The thing that had broken the ground was crawling out, though slowly. Regardless of never seeing one in the flesh, you knew what this was.

A titan. A titan had just crawled its huge ass out of the ground and had begun to crawl in the direction of Wall Sheena. The only thing you could muster up into words were curses. 

The trees around the titan began to set aflame and laid waste to the surrounding foliage, leaving a scorched path where the vast body of the grotesque creature drug itself.

In a panic, you rush to the church, now half sunken into the ground. Your first instinct was to run away, but now you were more worried about the people you were there with. Fear gripped you as you searched around the parameter as well as you could, seeing as it was slowly sinking into the ground.

Further down the crumbling ravene that formed beyond the chapel, you scoured for any sign of life. It was obvious the Scouts had been down there when it happened.

You searched frantically, trying to find a sign of life without falling into the trench that the field now was. The silence, save for the crunching sound of the titan, was deafening. Calling out for Hanji and Levi, you begin to panic.

“Hanji!? Anyone?” You slipped down into the rubble, searching it in some hope one of them would respond. Your ears perk up as someone begins to crack through the ground. Someone who had entered the chapel with the Survey Corpes was digging themself out and dragging Hanji with them. Blood dripped down them both, sending you into shock. 

In your mind, it looked as if the two were the only survivors of the altercation. In a rush to drag them out, you crawl over the loose dirt. “Are you two okay?” The man hoisting Hanji out of the ground passes them off to you.

“Please get Captain Hanji away from her,” he says, ducking his head back under for a moment, prompting you to believe the two were not the only survivors. 

You drag Hanji as gently as possible away from the destruction and towards the tree line. “Hanji.” They do not respond, so you put your ear to their chest and listen in for any signs of life. It was small, but they were breathing. Hanji was most likely just unconscious. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, you take off your cloak and press it to the wound that was gaping from their shoulder like the very hole the titan had just drawn itself out of. 

“Hey, Hanji!” Their eyes flutter open and look at you for a moment before closing again. “Hanji, it’s gonna be alright.” 

The others start showing up one by one, and to your relief, it seems they all made it out, which you could only consider a miracle. Levi rushes over and helps secure Hanji’s wound and get them back in the wagon carefully. He’s careful with Hanji, as if he were going to break her.

Situated next to Levi in the wagon, you look over the blood on your hands that had smeared onto your pants while you were helping Levi. He leans closer to you, his body warm against yours. In this position, he wasn’t as noticeably small. Levi seems to pull a handkerchief out of thin air, and he gently grabs your hand, trying to wipe off the blood that littered you.

You turn your head to look at him, only to find his face close yours but focused on his task at hand. He looks up, causing his eyes to meet yours. Despite their thinness, they held an ocean of thoughts and memories for a moment, but he quickly turned away to shield them, hiding the burning of his cheeks. To your shock, he was blushing. Captain Levi Ackerman was red faced and practically staring into your lap while trying to clean your hands.

A few others were seated near you and Levi, their faces twisting into utter disbelief. Levi was completely oblivious and attempted to play it off. “There you go, rat. You looked disgusting.” He tucks the fabric into his shirt, as if it were not soaked in blood now. 

Everyone chose to ignore it and remain silent, most likely to avoid getting their heads chopped off. It was wise of you to do the same, so you crossed your arms and feigned ignorance, which was quite the opposite of how you felt. Every movement he made was at the forefront of your mind, sending alarms off in your head when his leg bumps into yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short ass chapter... I'm off break now so I have 100 other things to do but I reeeeally want to keep writing.


End file.
